1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to providing multimedia content and more particularly to providing multimedia content to and from various different devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Empowered by the next generation of wireless technology, cellular networks can provide users with access to information from the Internet such as video on demand, video conferences, databases, etc. The use of cellular phones is thus no longer limited to voice transmission.
However, there are still some problems with the delivery of Internet content through cellular phones. For example, even with the high bandwidth connection provided by advanced cellular Systems, there remains a bottleneck between the Internet and the cellular network (CN), as well as delays caused by the Internet itself. This condition hinders the ability of cellular phone users to fully exploit the capabilities of the advanced CN. Since smooth and effective data flow is important to users, this bottleneck hinders the adoption of cellular phones for Internet access.
Making payment requests is another area of need. Although more and more individuals have become accustomed to purchasing goods and services online, there is not a streamlined and consistent mechanism for securely making requests for such payments.
Still another area of need relates to alerts. Locations including homes, offices, and other environments typically include computing devices as well as at least some form of network connection. Despite all of this connectivity, there are certain conditions for which adequate alerts remain unavailable. For example, billions of children wear diapers, and probably a quarter of them may suffer the effects of wet diapers at any given moment, since caretakers (e.g., parents, baby sitters, etc.) are not apprised of the status of their diapers in real time.
Thus, there remains a need for Systems and corresponding devices and processes that avoid the shortcomings of existing networks for delivering Internet content using the CN. There also remains a need for Systems and corresponding techniques for making payment requests. There also remains a need for Systems and corresponding techniques for delivering alerts to individuals such as caregivers tasked with managing a child in diapers.
Handheld mobile terminals (e.g., cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDA)) continue to evolve both in terms of execution platform and functionality. It is believed that the much of the functionality provided by a personal computer (e.g., desktop or laptop) will ultimately become virtually available in handheld mobile terminals, which will allow users to work with and access multimedia information any time and anywhere.
For example, one particularly appealing advantage of the next generation wireless communication system and beyond (i.e., 3G, 4G, etc.) is the capacity to support high rate multimedia data services as well as conventional voice services. In a conventional cellular system a mobile terminal communicates with a base station wirelessly. Multimedia information including but not limited to television, 3D images, network games, and video phone calls is transmitted from various service providers and received for display on the screen of a mobile terminal. The net result of such a system is rich multimedia information being destined for display on the small screens typical of cellular phones (or the like).
In these and similar Systems, the mobile terminal functions as a multimedia terminal to display multimedia information (including high-resolution graphics and high-quality real-time audio/video) sent from high data rate wireless communications network. The limited size (e.g., 2×3″) and capability of the mobile terminal screen may render enjoyment of the high rate data flow applications inconvenient, and in some instances useless. One consequence of this inadequacy is likely shrinkage of the potential market size for handheld mobile terminals. Indeed, some have suggested that development of high data rate Systems such as 3G Systems may be pointless given the limitations imposed by the small screen.
Some mobile units appear to provide a remote control function to an external display system. However, these do not appear to solve the small screen problem outlined above. That is, they do not accommodate display on a larger, external display of video and other multimedia information originally destined for the mobile terminal display screen.
For example, one such interface accommodates usage of the mobile terminal as a remote control for a television, by feeding programming guide information to the mobile terminal. This is useful for allowing the programming guide to be viewed locally while the larger screen displays a current program, but does not address to the above-described small screen problem.
Still another issue is the various different devices that a user may have to engage in communications, as well as the various different vehicles for the enjoyment of content that the user now has. No longer does the typical user merely watch television. Instead, the user may use their home computer, television, MP3, PDA, cellular phone or various hybrid devices to enjoy content. This content also arrives from a variety of sources, not just broadcast television as in the past. While it may be desirable to have more options, some consumers may feel overwhelmed trying to manage everything.
What is needed is a solution to the problem of diminished user enjoyment of the various devices and corresponding content that a user may enjoy due to the complications of trying to manage content and interface with a variety of different devices that are not necessarily compatible.